2017 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti: A Day’s Work
France: Burgundy, featured, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Jul 2020
The annual presentation of new releases from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in early March was the last tasting I attended before lockdown. Initially I thought I would publish this article as a bookend, when things returned to normal. Back then, I could have never imagined where we would be today. After reading Neal Martin’s article Complex, Not Complicated: 2017 DRC in Bottle chronicling the London edition, I decided to shamelessly rip off his format. So, here you have my version…
The Good, Bad and Ugly: Burgundy 2010, 2003 & 2004
France: Burgundy, featured
, Jun 2020
Three snapshot tastings of mature Burgundy vintages, 2003 and 2004 reds and 2010 whites, served as a reminder that whilst some vintages repay cellaring, others can remain “ugly ducklings”.
Cellar Favorite: 2001 Robert Ampeau et Fils Volnay Santenots 1er Cru
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, May 2020
As we look through the top Premier and Grand Crus of red Burgundy, the one appellation that I feel delivers a top-level experience at prices that remain reasonable is Volnay. When you couple this with the late-releasing house of Robert Ampeau, and their Premier Cru Santenots, we are really treated to something special.
Burgundy New Releases: A Bit of Everything…
France: Burgundy, featured
, May 2020
Our latest Burgundy update covers a smattering of wines Neal Martin and Antonio Galloni have tasted in recent months, everything from entry-level offerings all the way up to Grand Crus. For more on Burgundy, readers might want to revisit Neal’s 2018 Burgundy: Confounded Expectations and Antonio’s Postcard from Chablis: The 2018s & 2017s.
Cellar Favorite: 1985 Domaine Christophe Roumier Vosne-Romanée Les Beaumonts 1er Cru
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, May 2020
Our Cellar Favorite column is meant to bring readers’ attention towards either mature bottles currently drinking well or recent vintages worthy of laying down. This entry fits neither of those criteria.
Domaine Dujac Clos Saint-Denis 1970-2004
France: Burgundy, featured, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Mar 2020
Domaine Dujac’s Clos Saint-Denis has long been one of my favorite Burgundies, so when I had the chance to participate in a unique vertical of over 20 vintages back to the domaine’s earliest days, well, how could I refuse?
Cellar Favorite: 1937 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche Grand Cru
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Mar 2020
Last November I met with a couple of friends and Burgundy mavens with the sole intention of tasting one of the last bottles from the Moingeon family cellar. The rather shabby-looking bottle was bereft of a label and covered in a thin film of dust, and there was no branding on the cork.
Cellar Favorite: 1933 Domaine René Engel Grands-Echézeaux Grand Cru
France: Burgundy, cellar favorite, Cellar Favorites
, Mar 2020
Sometimes you encounter a bottle so old and rare that your immediate reaction is one of knowing that you will never taste it again. This bottle came from a renowned private cellar and was poured blind by a generous friend at Bistro de l’Hôtel.
Complex, Not Complicated: 2017 DRC in Bottle
France: Burgundy, featured
, Feb 2020
Tasting the newly released wines from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is never an ordinary day. The 2017s were in the spotlight this year. Here’s how the day unfolded hour by hour…
Refusing to Follow the Script: Jean-Marie Guffens
France: Burgundy, featured, Verticals & Retrospectives
, Feb 2020
The outspoken Jean-Marie Guffens has spent almost four decades making superb Mâconnais wines. This retrospective would always be entertaining. But what do Blade Runner and Pink Floyd have to do with it?